It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
avatar
MsbS: I wonder what is the age structure of the GoGers? Perhaps such censorship could be circumvented by limiting GoG access to people of 18+?
Na, at least in Germany a lot of stuff is still illegal or censored even for 18+ people. The whole "nazi entertainment thing" is a big no-no in Germany. Even if the entertainment is in killing nazis....
I'm glad the German politicians aren't aware of GoG. Or else there would maybe be enforcement of censorship.
avatar
MsbS: I wonder what is the age structure of the GoGers? Perhaps such censorship could be circumvented by limiting GoG access to people of 18+?
avatar
SimonG: Na, at least in Germany a lot of stuff is still illegal or censored even for 18+ people. The whole "nazi entertainment thing" is a big no-no in Germany. Even if the entertainment is in killing nazis....
not exactly... it is fine to kill nazis, but it is not allowed to show the swastikas, because of that the games are cencored by replacing it with a black cross.

For Arts like movies it is okay, but not for arts of gaming :)
avatar
Ubivis: ... For Arts like movies it is okay, but not for arts of gaming :)
Even there, the line is drawn very strange. Remember when "The Downfall" DVD cover got censored in Germany, because it showed a swastika on Hitlers hat ...

http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/19/19847/1.html (German language, sorry)

Sh*t, one court in Germany even outlawed a sign that showed a crossed out swastika, because it showed a swastika. Good thing that was overruled quickly...
avatar
Ubivis: ... For Arts like movies it is okay, but not for arts of gaming :)
avatar
SimonG: Even there, the line is drawn very strange. Remember when "The Downfall" DVD cover got censored in Germany, because it showed a swastika on Hitlers hat ...

http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/19/19847/1.html (German language, sorry)

Sh*t, one court in Germany even outlawed a sign that showed a crossed out swastika, because it showed a swastika. Good thing that was overruled quickly...
I wonder how it was with movies like "Saving Private Ryan" or "Band of Brothers"?

In my opinion it is good that swastika is prohibited as a nazi glorifing symbol, but in other cases (especially historical reconstruct) it should be allowed.
I understand the rationale behind this law. Banning each and every swastika saves them from all the disputes - which film glorifies the swastika, and which one simply documents, informs, or criticises the nazism. Banning the symbol altogether is much simpler.

But...

But things like the "Downfall" poster (with the Photoshopped Hitler's hat) convey a totally wrong message. It's like trying to make everybody forget that swastika ever existed.

So - it seems like the law was written for the law's sake, to avoid long and difficult court cases.
In general I have nothing against it. If I can't get a certain game because I'm from EU that is my problem. It's not a reason for US gogers to be deprived of opportunity of buying 'EU-banned' title. But I was wondering - will bending this rule allow to add many games to gog.com catalog? How many classics are excluded from gog.com because of this restriction?
Post edited March 15, 2011 by tburger
Regional restrictions.... no

Censorship.... ok on 1 condition theres links in the games forum to unrestrict it(which defeats the point)
avatar
Tantrix: I'm glad the German politicians aren't aware of GoG. Or else there would maybe be enforcement of censorship.
How would you force censorship on a company that sells digital products, and its based in a foreign country?
avatar
Tantrix: I'm glad the German politicians aren't aware of GoG. Or else there would maybe be enforcement of censorship.
avatar
KavazovAngel: How would you force censorship on a company that sells digital products, and its based in a foreign country?
Make ISPs filter out the service if they do not censor the product for your country.
A lot of games are easy to patch back in the good stuff (hell, Giants: Citizen Kabuto launched with censorship, getting the red bloode and topless Delphi back was up to us, the people who paid to play it).

I hate censorship, I see why you're saying what you're saying. But it's giving up way too much to get way too little in return. One of these days, these walls will come down. I'm betting you can get the same porn in Cairo that you can get here in the US, the difference is normally you won't be beaten to death for it in my country (normally). One day we'll grow up. Germany will finally cauterize that whole WW2 thing, the US will quit giving a crap about sex. You get the idea.

Or at least that's what I hope happens. Because soon technology is going to disrupt everything. We'll have robots that screw, printers that can make pretty good replicas of physical goods, and have very little work for most people to do (this is the reason we need a Basic Income Guarantee, btw). I am very much a pessimist, but I am optimistic that the censorship issue is just one more little growing pain we'll get past in the very near future.